A decade old drug for leukemia, Mylotarg, has been proven to cause more deaths than no leukemia treatments at all.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is finally removing a leukemia drug in the market, Mylotarg, after studies showed that the drug actually caused four times more mortalities than having no treatment at all.

In addition to a higher mortality rate for patients who trusted Mylotarg, it was also found that the drug produced very little or no benefits when used as a treatment.

Deadly “fast-tracking”

This unfortunate series of events can be traced perhaps to how the drug Mylotarg was approved in the first place. A decade ago, Pfizer approached the US Food and Drug Authority with the new drug for leukemia. The FDA was then implementing a new abbreviated or “fast-track” process of approving new drugs.

Mylotarg was one of the drugs that were approved using this abbreviated approval process, which did not require extensive clinical trials. With a clinical trial that involved only 140+ patients and little other proof of effectiveness, Pfizer was given the go signal to release the drug in the international market; indeed, with dire consequences.

The dire statistics are all we need to see why Mylotarg was finally pulled from the market: 5.7% of all Mylotarg patients died after undergoing treatment. Leukemia patients who did not receive Mylotarg or any other treatment have a mortality rate of 1.4%.

Alongside the withdrawal of Mylotarg from the international market, Pfizer has also withdrawn support for an experimental new drug for osteoarthritis called Tanezumab. Tanezumab was supposed to be prescribed for pain caused by osteoarthritis. Shockingly, Tanezubam actually caused more problems for people who had osteoarthritis.

The use of the experimental drug in clinical trials led to full joint replacement procedures and worsening osteoarthritic conditions. Tanezubam was due for the final stage of testing before FDA approval. An estimated annual revenue of $100 million was expected if the drug was approved (good thing it wasn’t approved!).

What is leukemia?

Leukemia is a devastating form of cancer that target blood-producing tissues in the body, including the marrow and even the lymph nodes (collectively, the lymphatic system). There are several types of leukemia; both children and adults can suffer from the disease.

The problem usually starts when the bone marrow begins producing abnormal white blood cells – more than what the body can handle.

The body has its own system of dealing with malignant and abnormal cells. When cancer occurs, this internal system is defeated. Cells that normally commit cellular suicide become ‘immortal cells’ and ‘forget’ to die naturally, as they should to keep the balance in the body.

Some of the general symptoms of leukemia include:

• Tenderness or pain present in the bones
• Night sweats
• Petechiae or abnormal red spotting of the skin
• Person easy bleeds or easily bruises
• Lymph nodes become swollen
• Uncontrollable weight loss
• Frequently bodily infections
• Fatigue
• Bodily weakness
• Fevers
• Chills

Handling leukemia naturally

The body can be strengthened to fight off this type of cancer naturally:

1. Traditional Ayurvedic medicine recommends a diet of fruit, green salads and vegetables to combat infection in the body and to help purify the body of toxins (this is actually backed by medical science; fruits and vegetables are full of fiber, vitamins, minerals and fiber that all come together to fight off infection and restore balance in the body).

2. Leukemia patients should stay away from stressful situations. Relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation are recommended for natural strengthening of the immune and lymphatic system.

3. Leukemia patients often suffer from a type of anemia; in such cases, B-complex and iron supplements are recommended to help the body restore the iron content of red blood cells.

4. Folic acid deficiency can result from conventional treatments for leukemia, so folic acid supplementation is also important if the patient is already undergoing chemotherapy or other conventional cancer treatments.

5. During the onset of the disease and treatment, leukemia patients are often prone to infections (primarily because leukemia attacks white blood cells, the body’s natural defense).

High doses of vitamin C can help strengthen the body’s immune function. It is also an effective antioxidant, which reduces cellular damage from free radicals. Vitamin E can also be taken as a protective measure against the side effects of treatment.

6. Chlorella supplementation may be explored to increase the production of healthy blood cells. In addition to increasing healthy blood cell production, chlorella also fights off the growth of cancerous cells in the body, which is very important when a person is fighting off leukemia.

7. Garlic can help fight off infections and can also protect the body from further ravages of cancerous cells. Since leukemia patients have sensitive digestive tracts, garlic supplementation may be explored. Don’t forget to consult with your healthcare provider before trying this.

8. According to the A.P. John Institute for Cancer Research, the following can help control the growth of cancerous blood cells and manipulate the cancer-forming process: vitamin B6, parsely, vitamin D, extract of green tea, why protein, grits, calcium D-glucurate, D-limonene (can be sourced from citrus fruits), niacin, choline, selenium, perilla oil, super miraforte, resveratrol, indole-3 carbinol, melatonin, pantothenic acid, licorice root.

Sources:
articles.mercola.com
herbs2000.com
mayoclinic.com
ayurvedic-medicines.com
apjohncancerinstitute.org

On the heels of the discovery that one in every seven elderly filled an antidepressant prescription last year, researchers say antidepressants, sedatives lead to an increased incidence of falls.

Earlier this year, I wrote about a study from New Zealand that talked about how regular exercise among senior citizens worked wonders in preventing them from falling—the fifth leading cause of death in the developed world, believe it or not.

Here’s a study that talks about what often causes senior citizens to fall.  And the culprits just happen to be the bane of my existence:  prescription drugs, especially mood-altering prescription drugs and sleep aides.

That the study pinpointed mood-altering drugs (like anti-depressants) and sleeping pills (both over the counter and prescription) is significant because the study analyzed the reported side effects of several different classes of drugs, including (but not limited to) blood pressure medications, pain killers, diuretics, beta-blockers, and over-the-counter pain medications like aspirin and ibuprofen.   They then analyzed the occurrence of reported falls among 79,000 study participants over the age of 60 over an 11-year period and whether or not they took these drugs.

Among the nine different classes of drugs assessed, they did not find statistically significant evidence for their being linked to the elderly participants’ falls in the majority of cases.  But when they looked at sedatives, antipsychotics, and antidepressants—the side effects of which almost always include increased grogginess and drowsiness—they did find “statistically significant evidence” that there were more cases of falls when people were on these drugs.

While more research needs to be done before the University of British Columbia researchers can say definitively that it’s the drowsiness side effect that’s to blame, they really think that that’s the chief reason.  Drowsiness, obviously, leads people to be unsteady on their feet, but especially in the elderly.  As lead author and investigator Carlo Marra believes, the elderly aren’t able to metabolize these drugs in quite the same way as those younger than them, thus are even more susceptible to prescription drugs’ side effects.

The study is published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Given how many elderly people take prescription drugs in the country—an estimated one in every seven octogenarians (i.e. someone in their eighties) filled an antidepressant prescription last year—this finding is enormously significant.  And while it may not necessarily be the chief reason for why falls are the fifth leading cause of death in the developed world for the elderly, it’s at least partly the reason.  And “partly” is enough to be wholly concerned.

Fortunately, there are natural alternatives to prescription and over-the-counter drugs that can boost your mood or help you sleep.  Check out my article on the best foods for sleep, and for mood, the best supplements and activities you can do.

Source:
sciencedaily.com

Study finds a possible association between birth defects and certain antibiotics.

Just weeks away from ringing in the holiday season, it’s that time of year for cold and flu season as well.  And just as people procrastinate on their Christmas purchases, a number of people procrastinate on arming themselves with the natural herbs they need to ward off illness.  “I’ll just get an antibiotic if I get sick,” they dismissively say.  But a new study written in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine explains why this dismissive mentality is a really bad idea, particularly if you’re pregnant.

Researchers from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention collected health data from over 13,000 pregnant women and their babies in 10 states, with a particular focus on whether the frequency of their antibiotic use during pregnancy correlated with birth defects.  To find out, they compared the use of antibiotics among women that had babies with birth defects with women who didn’t have babies with birth defects.  Both groupings took antibiotics at various points throughout their pregnancy.

While the researchers didn’t find a higher incidence of birth defects among women and babies that used antibiotics like penicillin, there was some evidence to suggest that birth defects result from lesser-known antibiotics.  The culprits? Sulfonamides and nitrofurantoins.

Women that took sulfonamides, an antibiotic most commonly used for treating urinary tract infections, were three times more likely to have babies with malformed skulls and brains; while women that took nitrofurantoions were twice as likely to have babies with eye and heart defects.  Nitrofurantoins are another kind of antibiotic prescribed for urinary tract infections.

The researchers are hesitant to pinpoint these antibiotics as the cause for the birth defects (as I often say, correlation does not imply causation), but their results indicate doctors shouldn’t be so cavalier about prescribing them, particularly to pregnant women.

Again the study is published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

The use of antibiotics has skyrocketed in this country.  While there’s no question that hundreds if not thousands of diseases have become treatable through antibiotics, there’s also no question that their overuse has made diseases less treatable.  Appealing to patients’ “Give me something to feel better” mentality, doctors have handed out prescriptions like candy, and nature (i.e., microbes) has taken advantage.  Because just as the body’s immune system adapts to its environment, microbes adapt to their environment.  So when antibiotics are overused or improperly used—like when farmers add them to healthy animals’ feed to spur growth, or when doctors prescribe them to people who have non-bacterial infections—that’s more opportunity for bacteria to adapt to their environment and become more resistant to treatment in the process (forming the so-called “superbug”).

To say nothing of the side-effects that result from antibiotic use, the consequences of their overuse is the primary reason why natural antibiotics should be your primary option for treating infections.  What you choose depends on the nature of your disease.  For example, if your infection is bacterial (e.g., urinary tract infections, strep throat, etc.) choose herbs like garlic* and pau d’arco.  For fungal infections (e.g., yeast infections, athlete’s foot, etc.) look for supplements with myrrh, thyme, pumpkin or barberry bark in them.  And for viral infections (e.g., chicken pox, common cold, etc.), your best defense is with St. John’s wort, aloe vera and elderberry.

(Note*:  While garlic is great for bacterial infections, it’s also effective for viral and fungal infections).

Sources:
sciencedaily.com
health.usnews.com
cdcfoundation.org
keepantibioticsworking.com
home-remedies-that-work.com

Interferon gamma-1b is a deadly drug with a deadly side effect: death.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before:  A drug’s been taken off the market because it’s been found ineffective.

I know, I know, you’ve heard it before, but humor me.

The latest ineffective drug is called interferon gamma-1b.  This drug – with a rather appropriate name given its “interfering” side effects – was believed to help treat people with a deadly lung disease.  As it turns out, though, the only thing this drug does is “interfere” with the body’s internal processes, churning up a veritable smorgasbord of side effects like those found in people who get the flu (fever, chills, fatigue, etc.).

The deadly lung disease the drug was supposed to treat is called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

IPF is a condition that afflicts approximately 200,000 Americans – usually those between the ages of 50 and 75 – and is diagnosed among people whose breathing patterns are severely altered due to the scarring of lung tissue.  This scarring of lung tissue severely restricts normal oxygen flow, thus adversely affecting the brain and all of the body’s internal processes that rely on oxygen (which is pretty much everything in the body).

Because of this, the prognosis for IPF sufferers isn’t good.  People with it usually die within five years of diagnosis.  What’s worse, there’s no known cure.

The best way to avoid it is through preventive measures, like keeping your blood pressure low, not smoking, and exercise (three conditions believed to cause IPF include hypertension, lung cancer and heart failure).

These preventive measures take on additional importance after a study that involved injecting 826 people with either a dose of interferon gamma-1b or a placebo.  What they found was that more people died after being injected with the interferon – the very drug that was supposed to treat the IPF – than people who were injected with the placebo (15 percent to 13 percent).

And among those that didn’t die, those injected with the interferon were more likely to suffer from flu-like symptoms.

The study was 64 weeks long and participants were injected with the ineffective dosage three times a week, 200 micrograms per dose.

The study’s full details are published in the online version of the world renowned British medical journal The Lancet.
I think this study speaks for itself.  It also speaks to the cause that natural health advocates like me have devoted our lives to:  Pharmaceuticals are ineffective – they’re only side-effective.

Diseases like this, unfortunately, aren’t treatable through natural methods; preventive measures need to be taken to avoid it.

This study demonstrates just how important preventive measures are in maintaining natural health – because pharmaceuticals won’t be your saving grace.  If more people came to this realization, I have no doubt we’d see less disease, for people would start living a life where diseases rarely lurk.

Source:
health.msn.com
nhlbi.nih.gov

Was Demerol, a prescription painkiller, a contributing cause to Michael Jackson's death?

Around 5:45 p.m. this past Thursday evening, people the world over received news so shocking, so earth shattering, it could very well could have registered on the Richter scale:  Michael Jackson had died.

Within hours, fans of the King of Pop descended on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, lighting candles and adorning his star with flowers, pictures, and cards.  Amazon.com and other retailers were flooded with orders for his DVDs and CDs, and thousands of Web sites sprang up devoted to his memory.

Just hours before Jackson’s death, another pop culture icon died, Farah Fawcett, after undergoing several months worth of chemotherapy treatment.

Since then, it’s been all Jackson, all the time on the 24-hour news cycle (some Fawcett coverage too, but to a far lesser extent).

The ubiquity of coverage isn’t a surprise, as both Fawcett and Jackson are symbols of American pop culture.

And as more and more information comes to the forefront regarding Jackson’s puzzling death, the missing pieces are coming together and illuminating what was once a mystery.

The presumed culprit in Jackson’s death is a well-known painkiller called Demerol. 

For those unfamiliar with Demerol, it’s toxicity and characteristics are best summed up by Dr. Patrick Annello, an anesthesiologist that works at the St. Francis Hospital in New York (on Long Island).  As he told FoxNews.com, “[Demerol] can cause rapid heart rate, arrhythmias and – when given in high doses – it can cause respiratory depression or shallow breathing.”

He prefaced this laundry list of side effects by warning that Demerol has “a tremendous number of side effects.”

And this is precisely the problem with prescription drugs like Demerol – they offer way more side effects than they do benefits.  Michael Jackson is the latest exhibit of the deadly toll prescription drugs like Demerol place on the body.

Doubters of Demerol’s deadly deeds will chalk Jackson’s death up to happenstance, the occasional instance of prescription drugs taking the life of someone.  A classic case of “That may have happened to him, but what are the chances that will ever happen to me?”

The doubters will justify its use further by suggesting that the abuse of Demerol is not the nature of the drug itself, but rather the nature of people – that some people are just more prone to addiction and want to feed their addictive personalities. 

Whether Michael Jackson had an addictive personality is beside the point.  He was likely put on Demerol by his doctor because he was, indeed, experiencing legitimate pain.  But his doctor did him a profound disservice because one of the known side effects of Demerol is that it’s addictive – whether someone has an addictive personality or not. 

His doctor could have pointed him to alternative treatments that alleviate pain naturally and that aren’t addictive.  Instead, his doctors gave him a license to: take something that highly trained athletes have become addicted to and sought treatment for (like Brett Favre), take something that killed one of the most bright, entertaining and up-and-coming movie stars of our era (like Heath Ledger), and take something responsible for ruining professional wrestlers careers (though their matches may be scripted, their falls or “bumps,” to use wrestlers’ lingo, are quite real), including Chris Benoit, Andrew “Test” Martin, and the “British Bulldog” Davy Boy Smith, just to name a few.  All of them took painkillers, got hooked on them, and died as a result.

As untimely a death as Jackson’s was (no matter what your thoughts on Jackson and his personal exploits, there’s no denying he was an incredible entertainer and  revolutionary performer), a positive to take away from all this is that Demerol is finally getting its fair share of negative publicity.  Perhaps now the public will be wary of painkillers and whether or not they want to prescribe their life away – quite literally.

On the negative side, though, Michael Jackson’s cause of death will detract from Farah Fawcett’s cause of death.  It won’t be focused on at all; in fact, it will be chalked up as inevitable. Her cancer just got progressively worse, and that’s that. 

But just as Michael Jackson was victim of the things he put into his body, so too was Farah Fawcett. Their deaths were hastened by their treatments – Demerol in Jackson’s case, and chemotherapy in Fawcett’s.

To quote NaturalNews.com’s Mike Adams, “Had [Fawcett] chosen natural remedies, she could have skipped all the pain and suffering, restored her immune function, reversed her cancer, and gone on to live a much loner and more abundant life.”

Death is a part of life, but these deaths didn’t have to happen so soon.  They were taken from the earth far too early.

Farah and Michael’s memories live on through their acting and singing.  But to use a few lines from Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” we can all “make the world a better place,” by “taking a look at ourselves and making a change” in the way we perceive the pharmaceutical industry, knowing that the pills they peddle aren’t in our best interest.  

(Note:  While speculation of Michael Jackson’s cause of death centers on his use of Demerol, it remains just that – speculation.  Toxicology reports won’t be released for several weeks.  That said, what do you think?  Was Demerol the cause of Jackson’s death, or was it something else entirely?  Leave your comments below.) 

Sources:
Fox News
Natural News

Anyone who’s a regular reader of my columns knows I’m neither the president nor a member of the FDA Fan Club.  The Food and Drug Administration and I disagree on a bevy of issues, and I don’t suspect that’s about to come to a conclusion any time soon.

But just as Montagues and Capulets, Republicans and Democrats occasionally (and I emphasize occasionally) agree on issues, so too do I and the oft-derided FDA.  Here is one such occasion.

Not long ago, I wrote an article about heartburn and how certain drugs that help treat heartburn wind up adding to insult, rather than treating injury, leaving one saddled with side effects.  The latest evidence of this comes from the FDA, as they’ve called out a heartburn treatment drug called Reglan.  According to FDA studies after a number of complaints had been filed, Reglan leaves people twitching and lurching uncontrollably, especially when taken over a long period of time. 

Though the FDA hasn’t ordered the drug removed from the market, they’ve done the next best thing:  ordered Wyeth, the maker of the drug, to label all bottles containing Reglan with the infamous “Black Box Warning,” alerting consumers to its spastic side effects.

Of course, heartburn is related to digestion.  When food isn’t digested properly, heartburn results due to a buildup of gastric acid.  Food isn’t the only trigger for heartburn – others include stress, obesity and certain pharmaceuticals – but it’s definitely the most common trigger, not to mention a common problem – one in 10 Americans experience it at least once a week!

The FDA estimates that approximately 2 million people are currently taking Reglan; this finding will likely bring that number down quite a bit. 

Wyeth’s notoriety has been more in line with infamy than esteem lately; this certainly won’t do much to revive the public’s confidence.

So if drugs like Reglan, Prilosec and Nexium are out, then what’s in?  In other words, how can one NATURALLY treat heartburn? 

Well, one can start by eliminating those foods that ignite the inferno in the first place, like overly spicy foods.  Spicy foods aren’t bad necessarily, but spicy foods don’t agree with everyone’s stomach.  So do some deductive reasoning for starters.

Then try some tea.  I drink tea every day, and I’m convinced tea is part of the reason why heartburn is such a non-issue for me.  Any organic herbal tea will do, but natural health experts suggest fennel tea.  Adding some ginger to it helps as well, as ginger is a natural relaxant for the body’s digestive tract.

One more tool of the trade for treating heartburn is orange peel extract.  Researchers don’t know why it works; they just know it works, as it’s believed to help clear the lining of the esophagus when taken over a period of days.  The recommended dosage is 1000 mg every other day for 20 days.

Heartburn’s rough as it is; do you really want to be twitching like a mad man to boot?  By following the advice mentioned above, your issues with heartburn will go down in flames.

Source:
MSNBC
WebMD
Associated Content
eHow

The controversy begins when you begin to understand the position of Dr. Biederman. He is not only being paid millions to promote and sell certain prescription medications from the drug companies but he also lies continuously about the money he is being paid. As you can now see the financial interests behind Dr. Biederman motives are quite strong. This is not the only study Dr. Biederman has released trying to state that the natural herbal remedies are useless and therefore promotes the use of his prescription drugs in order to continue to fill his pocket.

Aside from the fact that the herb was used within its inactive state to make sure no results were found, are these psychiatrists testing an herb on what is nothing more than a false disease? We really need to ask ouselves if ADHD is a condition created by psychiatrists in order to once again make them more money. There are no legitimate forms of testing to establish if a child has this condition and the symptoms vary greatly from child to child. This may very well be another example of the dishonesty that can be found within the medical world today and as a parent you should be aware of these facts.

Unfortunately, the medical world has become a quest for money and this means the goal to resolve health issues and save lives has been pushed to the curb. When natural remedies come to the surface, which provide no dangerous side effects and real results, the medical community wants to do nothing else then destroy the credibility. As a consumer who keeps up with the media it can be impossible to really know the truth about anything when reports are constantly written biased and you never receive the entire truth about any given subject.

This is the reason natural supplements and remedies have kept out of our reach for so many centuries. The media pushes the benefits of Western Medicine and we accept. Now is the time to take control over your health and make the decision that can change your life. By finding a naturopathic professional you can trust and count on you can then learn what natural remedies can really do without the media sales pitches to blind you.

With many different herbs and supplements at your fingertips, open your mind to a new world of healing. A world of healing that involves no dangerous side effects or unexplained deaths. Natural supplements simply heal and resolve the issue, leaving you healthier than ever before.

This is why to date, we have only heard on the news and within the media that Tim Russert died of a heart attack. It is quite obvious that his heart was failing and the immediate failure of the organ is the cause of death. However, to look a little deeper, could the breaking point of this heart failure have been contributed by the FDA approved prescription medications he was taking to control his coronary artery disease? This is certainly a strong possibility, in my opinion. This is where it becomes important to learn that pharmaceuticals do not solve or cure heart disease, they are meant to simply control the symptoms.

No health improvements can be found with prescription medications. They superficially control your symptoms. This can be astonishing news for anyone who is relying on their pharmaceutical drugs to prevent heart attacks in their future. They simply create the illusion of health and this is the biggest problem. The illusion of health causes the person taking the medications to live as if they have no heart problems to worry about and this in turn creates more serious problems along the way.

Of course we cannot be sure just yet that the heart medications Tim Russert was taking contributed to his death. There were many other factors that could have participated in the results seen on Friday such as his diet and other health problems he may have thought were solved by his prescription drugs. Millions of Americans think this way as well and now is the time to learn how to actually control your heart disease symptoms through natural therapies that provide results, not further risk. Some beneficial alternatives to take into consideration are the following:

Alpha-Lipoic Acid is used to lower your cholesterol levels naturally.

Chinese Red Yeast Rice Extract helps promote blood circulation throughout the body and regulate your cholesterol levels as well.

Coenzyme Q10 should be taken in dosages of at least 100 mg daily since statin drugs deplete Coenzyme Q10 levels in the body. This natural supplement literally improves the function of the heart muscle.

Grape Seed Extract is an antioxidant that eliminates the risk of blood clotting.

In order to maintain a regular and steady heart rhythm, an adequate amount of potassium is needed on a daily basis.

As you can see there are many different natural ways to deal with your heart disease and this is only a taste of what is out there for you to try. A naturopathic professional can help you create a healthy supplement routine to control your symptoms and strengthen your heart to prevent heart attacks in your future. It is time to stop relying on prescription medications that only mask the problem.

A California-based pharmaceutical company is currently developing smokeable drugs. In an effort to deliver fast results, they are producing drugs that that can be smoked like cigarettes.

Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, chairman of psychiatry at Columbia University, says:

“It’s a useful mode of delivery, though its desirability and frequency of prescription will depend on the disorder.”

The company responsible for the development of this “pharma-crack” as I like to call it is Alexza Pharmaceuticals Inc. Their agenda includes manufacturing drugs that can be inhaled for the treatment of pain, anxiety and schizophrenia-induced agitation. Inhalable drugs have been produced in the past from other companies but what separates these is that they are “smokeable”.

Because this type of medicine passes through the lungs and into the blood within seconds, drugs that can be inhaled act more rapidly than pills, which have to be digested and absorbed. The process by which Alexza will produce these drugs consist of heating liquid drugs to create a vapor. Another fact that makes this idea different is that the company plans on creating a portable device which will allow patients to carry their smokable med’s wherever they go. Right now, Alexza is testing a hip-flask-sized, battery-powered package.

The company is testing a smokeable version of nausea medicine called prochlorperazine. Thomas King, the company’s CEO says they also hope to announce the formation of a new partnership with a big pharmaceutical company to start developing another drug by years end.

This is pure insanity if you ask me. Aside from making billions off of chemicals in a bottle being sold to a fear driven market, Big Pharma is now putting the wheels in motion to produce smoke able chemicals.

I wonder where the FDA stands in all of this? They’re probably too busy trying to ban a natural supplement for false claims to worry about people lighting and smoking prescription chemicals. Why not just put this stuff on the street so people can get it as fast as possible without having to wait for a prescription from doctor?

Two studies were performed. The first, included researchers from the Instituti Clinici di Perfezionamento in Milan analyzing echocardiogram images from 155 patients who were on a variety of Parkinson’s drugs. They compared these images to a sample of 90 healthy people. Twenty-three percent of patients on the Parkinson’s drug pergolide (also known as Permax) displayed moderate to severe valve problems. The same is true for nearly 29 percent of those taking cabergoline (also known as Dostinex, among other names). None of the patients on other Parkinson’s medications and less than 6 percent of the control group showed heart valve problems.
 
Scientists in Berlin and in Montreal conducted the second study where more than 11,400 medical records of patients with Parkinson’s Disease in the UK were reviewed. Patients on pergolide and cabergline, showed to be between a five-to-seven-times greater risk of leaky valves than in those on other Parkinson’s medications.
 
Dr. Bryan Roth, a pharmacology professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who was not involved in either study had this to say:

“This is an extraordinarily high risk,” “It’s a bad side effect. As far as I know, there are no medications that can reverse it.”
 
An estimated 1.5 million people in the United States, and about 6 million people all over the world are afflicted with Parkinson’s disease. It is a condition with symptoms that include tremors, loss of muscle control, and even death. Parkinson’s is usually the result of a deficiency of the chemical dopamine in the brain. The drug levodopa, which promotes dopamine production in the brain is the primary treatment for the disease.
 
Pergolide and cabergoline are typically not used as primary treatments for Parkinsons. However, they are often used synergistically with levodopa, or a substitute for levadopa if the disease becomes progressively worse.

Eli Lilly and Co. marketed pergolide for 14 years before they added heart valve damage to the list of potential side effects. By that time, this poison had been prescribed to about half a million people. Lilly says the risks were only significantly increased for five in 100,000 users.
 
So what does that mean? That these five people’s lives are worth nothing?
 
Big Pharma really seems to blow my mind sometimes. First off, they make billions from selling poison to people. Their revenue is fear based. People basically put this stuff in their body because they’re afraid of what may happen if they don’t.
 
That in itself makes me sick to my stomach. But at least in most situations people are aware of the side effects. In essence, they get to pick their own poison, even if it is only out of fear.
 
But when a chemical is on the market for that long with no listing of an extremely serious side effect, that blows my mind.
 
Here’s one more fact I find to be rather interesting. A few years back, the supplements Pondimin and Redux which contained fen-phen were pulled off the market because evidence suggested fen-phen caused heart valve problems. Yet when a paper published by Dr. Bryan Roth warned that pergolide and cabergoline appeared to set off the same heart-related mechanism as fen-phen, nothing was done.

Folks, I urge you to learn about some safe and natural alternatives that can help slow the progression of Parkinson’s Disease.